


Gallic Shrugs

by denmarking



Series: Never Mind the Stains [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2118150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denmarking/pseuds/denmarking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Siebold looks back through his career as a chef, remembering the bitter moments that helped him shape who he is now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gallic Shrugs

  
Shout. Shout. Let it all out. These are the things I can do without. Siebold hummed the words to his favorite Tears for Fears song as it plays through the mini stereo. He stands alone in the kitchen under the Pokémon League. All the main dining halls were here and the hallways were vast enough for the smell to travel through them. One could detect a meal was in preparation from the second they reached the bottom of stairs. The music continues to fill the kitchen. The mini stereo is propped up on a counter to his left, easy to reach in case a horrid song played next. He doesn't want anything to kill the chill vibe reverberating through the stone walls. Chopping carrots to the beat really helps him concentrate.

"Come _ooooon_ , I'm talking to you," Roland Orzabal sang as Siebold throws the carrots into the brewing stew. The Elite always lost their shit when he made it and since then have never stopped hounding him to make it again. It was Siebold's turn to cook tonight, even if it meant having to deal with Wikstrom's picky nature and Malva's constant sass. Drasna liked anything he made; she was his main encouragement. Then again, it could all just be sugarcoating so she can leave the table early or something, but he didn't like to think about that. He just wanted this time as a chance to unwind from the workload.

It had been a terribly busy day in Restaurant Le Yeah. Trainer after trainer, couple after couple, all demanding some special that he had no clue existed until some kid choked on a Slowpoketail. Weren't those illegal? Even then, Siebold was only responsible for preparing the meals and ensuring everyone was on task. What goes in and out of that kitchen was not his business anymore. He had his place to cook, and it wasn't going to be at some place with a phony cover. Two stars or not, every restaurant had some kind of gimmick, and he's been around the business long enough to know that there's something off about this place and that Slowpoketail was the main culprit. Still, he couldn't shake the thought of what really mattered to him. Pokémon battling was his main occupation; he is the Master of the Water type after all. Yet, he knew that he couldn't keep this position forever. He'd have to pass it down sometime knowing his Pokémon would stick by his side regardless. Battling in its purest form was his gateway drug. He always had a passion for cooking and even then, his skills as a chef were something he severely doubted for awhile. Granted, he's still well known around Kalos, but he wants to make his mark in other regions of the world as well. 

"Cooking is a work of chemistry," Siebold said eagerly to the coworker next to him, "and I want to perfect it into the art form it was meant to be." She was not in the mood for his daily spiel. She muttered her breath about the lack of Sitrus berries in the dish Siebold was holding and walked away.

Everyone was in such a sour mood because, a few weeks back, he competed on Cutthroat Kitchen: Unova. He lost within the second round because he didn't add enough salt to his entrée.

"I even won the salt advantage," he confessed to Diantha the night he came home. "I was the only one with salt! Did they want me to overpower the taste or something?! I'm not tacky like that!" He was walking in the pool of water surrounding his Flood Chamber; he enjoyed the sounds of the water splashing. It was calming.

Diantha pouted her lips inward. "Didn't this happen before? I know this happened before…" she mused. "That show is scam, in my opinion." She was sitting with her ankles crossed in Siebold's throne. She had been patiently awaiting his arrival since midnight because Wikstrom's Klefki kept changing the PIN number on the security locks. She was the only one with an emergency key and wasn't about to leave Siebold outside with no shelter. It would've been funny to see him lose his shit, but tonight wasn't one of those nights. 

"You were better off competing the regional competition. It would've been good for your own business." She pulled a tissue from her purse and wiped off droplets of water from her shoes. He was hastily pacing now and these shoes cost more than his payout to trainers. "Plus, the television loves the Hometown Hero trope.

Siebold looked back at her with a softened expression. Maybe she was right. 

"That's complete Granbull-shit," he uttered. "The more publicity someone gets determines who wins. It happened to Wallace…"

Diantha rolled her eyes. "Stop comparing yourself to Wallace. This is a resolved debate that I'm not visiting again." It was 3AM and she was too tired for this.

The mood quickly turned sour. "Every single time we've pared in a Pokémon battle," he said sharply, "it ends in passive aggressive insults." Siebold looked up at the ceiling with a quick and nervous smirk. "It's endless rebuttals about what really makes battling an art form, all because he's a Champion. It's going out to eat and offhandedly criticizing me about my favorite dishes.  _I'm_  the chef, and he's telling me I can't have olives on my French bread. This guy's shtick is all about elegance and degrades me with every choice I make."

His voice shifted into a softer tone. "You don't think it affects me?"

His words echoed into the ceiling. Tension coated the room. Diantha sensed that maybe it was time to change the subject.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of a series of stories dealing with Siebold's relationships with others. I'm dealing with mostly friendships for now before I get into pairings, mostly because I haven't found someone I like for him.
> 
> Maybe Diantha but as bros. They're totally bros.


End file.
